Guardian chief executive David Pemsel has argued that the
newspaper’s handling of the Jeremy Corbyn "traingate" story shows
it does not need an external regulator.

The newspaper's piece about Corbyn failing to find a seat on a
crowded Virgin Trains service quickly unravelled in August.

The information in the article was challenged by readers who
found CCTV footage showing the Labour leader walking past several
empty seats. Meanwhile, the report's author, "Charles B
Anthony", was exposed as a pseudonym for Corbyn supporter Anthony
Casey.

Pemsel admitted "it’s not great to have a working example that’s
only come up recently," but said the case underlines that The
Guardian system of self-regulation works.

"Paul Chadwick demonstrated his muscle over the Corbyn video
where he was very clear about some of the things we might have
not got quite right. It works for us, and we’re going to carry on
with our structure," he told Business Insider.

Pemsel "taken aback" at being branded "pious" by press regulator

David PemselGetty

The Guardian has refused to join IPSO, the regulator set up after
the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics. IPSO counts The Sun and
The Daily Telegraph among its members, and chairman Sir Alan
Moses has been critical of The Guardian of refusing to join.